Utica, NY (1/17/13)- The Utica College women's hockey team travels to Aston, PA this weekend for a key ECAC West Conference match up against league rival, Neumann University.  Saturday's face off will be at 7 p.m. while Sunday's match up is scheduled for 3 p.m.

Last Time Out: UC is coming off a 1-0-1 weekend against SUNY Potsdam… On Saturday, the Pioneers tied the Bears 1-1 off a goal from junior Vanessa Maines (Boxborough, MA/Boston Jr. Shamrocks), assisted by Courtney May (Oxford, MI/Belle Tire) and Mackenzie Roy (Clinton, NY/Clinton)… Senior Marissa Hotaling (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) made 18 saves… On Sunday, Utica shutout Potsdam, 2-0 off goals from Megan Myers (Las Vegas, NV/LA Selects) and Kelsey Dowdall (Smiths Falls, ONT/Nepean)… Sophomores Nicole Schwartz (Danville, CA/San Jose Sharks) (2), Courtney May (Oxford, MI/Belle Tire), and Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School) each added assists, while junior Jennifer Hamel (Ithaca, NY/Northwood School) stopped all 29 shots she faced.

Where We Sit: UC is 6-6-1 overall and 4-3-1 in the ECAC West… The Pioneers sit in fourth place in the conference standings behind Elmira, Plattsburgh, and Oswego… Two of Utica's losses came at the hands of Elmira, who is ranked third in the nation in the latest USCHO.com poll.

Balanced Attack: Ten different Pioneers have scored at least one goal this season… Junior Megan Myers (Las Vegas, NV/LA Selects) leads the way with eight goals and 13 points… Senior Carmen Johnson (Falls Church, VA/Washington Pride) is second with three goals, and Meghan McMahon (Gardner, MA/St. Marks (MA)), Louise Steele-Norton (Avondale, PA/Millbrook School), Kelsey Dowdall (Smiths Falls, ONT/Nepean), and Vanessa Maines (Boxborough, MA/Boston Jr. Shamrocks) have two goals apiece… Nicole Schwartz (Danville, CA/San Jose Sharks), Brittany DelleChiaie (Leominster, MA/The Winchendon School), Morgan Reed (Fort Myers, FL/Cushing Academy), and Meredith Tice (Hershey, PA/Washington Pride) have each found the back of the net once. 

May Helps Out: Sophomore Courtney May (Oxford, MI/Belle Tire) has a team-high seven assists… She is tied for sixth in the conference in scoring amongst defensemen… May is also in the midst of a four-game point-scoring streak.

Shutting the Door: Utica has allowed just one goal total in its last three games… Junior Jennifer Hamel (Ithaca, NY/Northwood School) ranks fourth in the league with a 1.88 goals against average… She also has a .917 save percentage and two shutouts… Senior Marissa Hotaling (Whitesboro, NY/Whitesboro) has a .904 save percentage, 2.34 goals against average and one shutout. 

Scouting Neumann: The Knights are 5-10-1 overall and 3-5 in the ECAC West…  Neumann is coming off a conference split with Cortland last weekend… The Knights are led by juniors Edie Brenning and Angela Gilmour… Brenning leads the team with seven goals and 13 points, while Gilmour has a team-high eight assists and is second on the squad with ten points.

Against the Knights: UC and Neumann have developed quite a rivalry recently… Utica is 12-9-2 against the Knights dating back to the 2003-2004 season… However, in the last six years, Neumann holds an 8-5 advantage in heads up play… Last year the Pioneers fell by scores of 3-0 and 3-2 in overtime… The last time Utica defeated the Knights was a 4-1 victory in the first round of the ECAC West Conference tournament on March 1, 2010. 

Looking Ahead:  The Pioneers return to action next weekend for their final home series of the regular season against Chatham… The puck will drop at 4 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday.


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